Crix voice their opinions … whatever they are

Crix voice their opinions ... whatever they are

EEHHH, THEY DON’T MAKE ‘EM like they used to. In the old days — three or four years ago — you could scan newspaper ads for movies and find wildly enthusiastic blurbs from critics whose names you knew: Bonnie Churchill of National News Syndicate, Don Stotter of Entertainment Time-Out and, of course, Susan Granger of CRN/AMC. You know, names that really mean something.

Reel Life has been writing about these blurbmeisters for years and, while the current quotes remain surprisingly similar (“The roller-coaster ride of the summer!” “A surefire Oscar contender!”), the critics have changed.

When asked about this phenomenon, a studio PR maven said, “Sometimes, if they’ve been quoted a lot, a reviewer asks to not have their quote used. They don’t want to feel overexposed.” Then came the gentle chide to Reel Life: “You know, you may laugh at these people, but they take themselves seriously.”

But we do take them seriously. That’s why we celebrate them in the pages of Daily Variety. So let’s hear it for the new kids on the block. In the blurb biz: it’s a brave new world.